Woman arrested over Stepping Hill ‘saline sabotage’ deaths

Greater Manchester police say 26-year-old woman, believed to a nurse, is in custody on suspicion of murder A 26-year-old woman, reported to be a nurse, has been arrested on suspicion of murder by police investigating three deaths at Stepping Hill hospital in Stockport . Sources at Greater Manchester police confirmed on Wednesday that the person in custody was a member of staff at the hospital and said inquiries were continuing into the alleged addition of insulin to saline solution. Tracey Arden, 44, George Keep, 84, and Arnold Lancaster, 71, have all died. A fourth patient in his 40s remains critically ill. A woman who became seriously ill and had a seizure is recovering. They are among a total of 14 patients on two acute medical wards – A1 and A3 – whose treatment since 7 July is being examined by police. Thrity-six ampoules of saline in a storeroom are said to have been tampered with. On Tuesday police said they could not rule out the possibility that the person responsible was still at the hospital. A police statement said: “This morning a 26-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of murder. She remains in police custody for questioning. Inquiries are continuing.” A team of 60 detectives is investigating events at the hospital. Police were called in a week ago after an experienced nurse realised a large number of patients had had a sudden unexpected drop in blood sugar levels. Security was stepped up and staff told to work in pairs when checking and administering drugs. A single keyholder had to be asked for access to locked drugs cabinets. Names and the times that individual drugs were given to patients were also being recorded. Police said on Wednesday that a product containing saline solution found damaged in the maternity ward at Stepping Hill was not contaminated. Preliminary tests confirmed no trace of any substance. Officers were seeking to establish whether the damage was accidental or deliberate. Assistant chief constable Ian Hopkins, who is leading the inquiry, said: “It is important to stress that this product has not been contaminated and, in fact, the damage could very well be accidental, as can happen quite easily in a busy hospital environment. “Extra security measures are in place across the hospital and staff continue to be vigilant, which of course is to be expected. Due to heightened awareness, staff are alerting police to anything they feel might be suspicious or relevant to the investigation and to date there has been no further contamination of any product since the control measures were introduced.” Inquests into the deaths of the three patients were opened and adjourned by south Manchester coroner John Pollard on Wednesday. Crime NHS Health James Meikle guardian.co.uk

Posted by on July 20, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.